


In Search of Honey

by deadhuntress



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bees, Break Up, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Party, Supernatural Prompt Challenge November 2016, Supportive Dean, Time Skips, Underage Drinking, drug mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-01 09:49:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8619709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadhuntress/pseuds/deadhuntress
Summary: “So when you get married, are you gonna call them your ‘honey?’” Dean asked.Castiel grinned. “Yeah,” he said happily. “And they’ll be super sweet, just like honey is.” Castiel's search for his "honey" gets him stung a few times, but will be worth it in the end.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the [Supernatural Prompt Challenge](http://supernaturalpromptchallenge.tumblr.com/) for November 2016.  
> Theme: Nature  
> Prompt: Bees

_~ When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees. –Joseph Joubert ~_

 

**Age 10**

Castiel flopped down in the grass behind Dean’s house and smiled up at his best friend, who was attempting to sit down without spilling their cups of lemonade, fresh from the pitcher Dean’s mom had made barely two hours earlier. He reached out excitedly for his cup – they both agreed that Dean’s mom made the best lemonade – and Dean laughed as he handed the cup over.

“Patience, Cas,” he giggled, green eyes sparkling in the bright afternoon sunlight. It was mid-June, the perfect time to be outside, in Cas’ opinion, because it was when the world was at its prettiest.

Cas made a face at Dean. “You’re never patient, assbutt,” he retorted.

Dean’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Cas swore!” he crowed in delight, startling a few sparrows in the large oak tree they were sitting under. The birds chirped and scattered as Dean laughed and Castiel felt his cheeks heat up.

“Shut up,” he muttered, taking a sip of lemonade in hopes that the cool drink would cool his reddened cheeks.

“Ca-as swo-ore, Ca-as swo-ore!” Dean sing-songed and finally Cas shoved him, spilling a little bit of lemonade on his t-shirt, which stopped Dean’s singing with an abrupt, “Hey!”

“Serves you right,” Cas countered. “And besides,” he added defensively, “you’ve sworn before.”

Dean shrugged. “Yeah, but you never say bad words.” He poked Cas in the side. “I think Gabe has been rubbing off on you.”

Any potential response to Dean’s comment was cut off when Dean suddenly jumped, spilling even more of his lemonade, though thankfully it ended up on the ground this time.

“What’s the matter?” Castiel started to say, but it didn’t take long for him to notice the bee hovering just above Dean’s left shoulder. Dean swayed to the side and waved his arm wildly, but Cas reached out a hand to stop him.

“Relax, Dean,” he said. “It’s just a honey bee.”

Dean glared at the innocent little insect, which was now buzzing around near his head. “I don’t like it,” he said. “It’s gonna attack me.”

Cas couldn’t help but let out a laugh, though he quickly stifled it when Dean shifted his glare towards him. “Sorry,” he apologized, grasping Dean’s wrist tighter in order to stop him from waving his hand at the bee. “It’s not gonna attack you though,” he said. “As long as you don’t threaten it. I think it’s interested in your lemonade.”

Dean’s glare softened slightly, though he was still frowning. “Why does it want my lemonade?” he asked, staring fixedly at the bee.

“It’s sweet,” Castiel explained. “It’s really looking for nectar from flowers, but it can smell the sugar in the lemonade so it’s heading for that.”

“So it just wants to eat?” Dean asked.

Castiel nodded. Dean bit his lip, then suddenly lifted the cup and downed the rest of the drink in a few large gulps. “Here you go, honey bee,” he said when the cup was empty, and placed it on the ground a few feet away from where they were sitting. After a few seconds, the bee buzzed away, flying into the cup.

“How d’you know stuff about honey bees?” Dean asked Castiel once the bee was out of sight and they were facing each other again.

Cas shrugged. “I’ve watched documentaries on them,” he said. “They’re really cool, like how they make honey for food during the winter, but they make more than they need, so people can take some to eat.”

“Wow,” Dean said, looking impressed. He nudged Cas in the side and smirked. “So when you get married, are you gonna call them your ‘honey?’” he asked.

Castiel grinned. “Yeah,” he said happily. “And they’ll be super sweet, just like honey is.”

 

**Age 16**

Castiel rolled his eyes when he reached his locker at the end of the day to find Dean leaned against it and giving him a disapproving look.

“What?” Cas said, nudging Dean to the side with his shoulder and twisting the lock as Dean huffed indignantly.

“Whaddya mean, _what_?” Dean asked. “I thought we were gonna see a movie tonight.”

Castiel sighed. “Meg’s taking me out tonight,” he said. “It was a surprise.”

“Well don’t sound too apologetic,” Dean said sarcastically. Castiel gave him a look and Dean softened. “I just miss you, y’know?” he said. “You’re my best friend but it feels like we never get to hang out anymore.”

Castiel softened as well. “I know,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you this weekend. You up for burgers Saturday night?”

Dean finally smiled and Castiel couldn’t help but return the gesture. “Yeah. Sounds great.”

\---

When Cas got home, he headed right to his room and collapsed onto the bed, dropping an arm over his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. He missed Dean, it was true. Between school and extracurriculars and dating, they didn’t have a lot of time to just hang out anymore. Castiel didn’t have a lot of free time and what he did have was mostly spent with Meg, who was funny and rebellious and brought out the dangerous side that Cas never thought he had. She was his first kiss and his first girlfriend and he wanted to spend time with her, even though that cut into his time with Dean. Dean should understand though, considering how busy he’d been when he was dating Cassie or Lisa. Still, Cas did feel bad about not spending as much time with Dean as he wanted.

Castiel must have drifted off, because when he next glanced at his alarm clock it read 4:30. He groaned. Meg was picking him up at five, which didn’t leave him much time to get ready. She hadn’t told him where they were going, so he wasn’t quite sure what to wear, and finally pulled on his favorite dark jeans and gray sweater that brought out his eyes, according to his sister, Anna. His hair was a tangled mess, and he attempted to get it under control but was forced to give up when he heard the _plonk!_ of a pebble against his window. Meg refused to honk her horn when she picked him up, but didn’t like to text or come to the door either, and had decided it was very fun to pick up small stones from around the porch and toss them at Cas’ window to get his attention instead.

“Coming,” he muttered to no one as he grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet and headed downstairs.

“How’s my unicorn?” Meg murmured against his lips a minute later as they sat in the front seat kissing. Cas’ heart was beating slightly faster than normal – they were making out in his driveway in broad _daylight_ and it would be just his luck for Gabriel or Anna to see them, at which point he might as well move to Alaska or somewhere even more remote, because he would never hear the end of it.

He finally pulled back after one more nip to her lips. “Where are we going?” he asked as he finally buckled his seatbelt. He would’ve liked to grab her hand across the seat but knew that Meg never really went for the sappy, sweet stuff like hand-holding or cuddling, so he held back.

“I was thinking pizza courtesy of Ruby.” Cas tilted his head in confusion and she smirked. “There’s a party at her house tonight.” Her eyes glittered in anticipation. “I figure we can go, get a little drunk, maybe make some mistakes?”

“Oh,” he said, smile drooping slightly. He really didn’t like parties – they were too loud, full of too many people, and besides, he didn’t really drink. He’d only been to two parties, both thanks to Meg, and neither of them ended well. At the first, a very drunk girl had come up to him and flirted for nearly fifteen minutes before her also drunk, yet still very intimidating, boyfriend found them and told Cas exactly what he would do if he caught him near the girl again. Castiel still shuddered at the memory.

At his second party, Meg had gotten drunk enough that she threw up in the house’s bathroom, her own bathroom, and her bed once Cas had managed to get her home. Castiel had barely managed not to hurl as he cleaned up after the last one and felt somewhat annoyed when Meg woke up the next morning without mentioning any of it, let alone apologizing. He’d also gotten in trouble with his parents for staying with his girlfriend all night. Needless to say, he had developed even more of an aversion to parties than he’d already had. Unfortunately though, Meg was very persuasive.

“Come on, Clarence,” she prodded, giving him a little upturned smile. “It’ll be fun. You know how legendary Ruby’s parties are.”

Castiel sighed, already regretting the word on his lips.

“Fine.”

\---

Two hours later, Cas was definitely feeling a distinct sense of regret. He had a headache from the pounding music that could be heard all throughout the house, he’d had to turn down no less than ten offers of drugs of varying legality, and Meg kept bringing him beers, the cheap stuff that no doubt would taste disgusting even if he liked alcohol. He hadn’t drunk any of them, instead setting them down in various places around the house when she wasn’t around. He’d also been hit on by three women and two men, all of whom were past buzzed and ranged from tipsy to smashed.

When Meg walked up with a sly grin on her lips and a bright red drink in her hand, Cas felt his stomach sink. “Drink,” she said, handing him the cup and downing the shot in her other hand. Castiel wrinkled his nose and she rolled her eyes. “C’mon, it’s better than the beer,” she insisted.

“I doubt that,” Cas muttered as he raised the cup to his lips. He coughed as he took a sip; it tasted like strawberries and insect repellant and burned his throat on the way down.

Meg giggled when he lowered the cup. “Good, isn’t it?” she said. “I’m gonna get more tequila. Want some?”

Castiel shook his head and she flounced off across the room. As soon as she was out of eyesight, he set the cup down behind a lamp and followed her to the kitchen, where a bearded guy Castiel had never seen before was pouring her a new drink.

“I’m gonna go outside for a few minutes,” he said after catching her attention.

She rolled her eyes again but waved him off and he made his way through the crowded house and out to the front porch. Outside, the music and talking were muted and he breathed a deep sigh as he felt himself calm down slightly. There were a few wind chimes hanging from the porch roof and he wandered to the edge, reaching up to carefully nudge one and smiling when it tinkled lightly. The string in the center had a little carved wooden bee on the end and he fingered it fondly, thinking of Dean all of a sudden. He felt guilty about deserting Dean, especially for this. He knew he would be having a lot more fun if he’d gone to the movie and out for burgers afterward, laughing and talking with his best friend. He felt a sudden pang of loneliness; he and Dean really _hadn’t_ hung out much lately and it was mostly his fault. He resolved to change that as soon as possible and smiled for what might have been the first time since he’d arrived at the party.

Castiel had just taken a seat on the old wooden porch swing, intending to listen to the crickets for a while, when he noticed a new sound, one that was a lot less friendly. He frowned in confusion before his eyes shot open in understanding. The party… those were police sirens.

 _Shit!_ he thought, feeling his heartbeat pick up. It sounded like they were getting closer and he hurried back inside to find Meg. They needed to leave _now_ ; it would only be another minute or two before the police arrived at the house. He scanned the living room and dining room to no avail and made his way to the kitchen, but unfortunately she wasn’t there either. He bit his lip as he tried to figure out where else she would be but before he could, he realized the sirens were just loud enough to be heard over the din.

Without thinking, Castiel darted out the back door and raced toward the woods, darting behind the trees and hiding just before he saw a few dark silhouettes jump out of their cars and head toward the house. A few more headed around the back, where, he was sure, they would find more people outside, and he walked as quickly away as he could while still being quiet, praying he wouldn’t trip on a rogue tree root as he made his way through the dark woods. He walked for what he thought must be at least a quarter of a mile before sneaking out to the main road, keeping close to the bushes surrounding the house he’d chosen. Silently he made his way down the road until he reached a corner and pulled out his phone.

With trembling fingers, he pulled up Dean’s contact information and pressed the button next to his name. He tried to slow his breathing as he waited for Dean to pick up. Finally he heard Dean’s voice.

“Cas?” Dean sounded half-asleep. “Why’re y’callin’ me at–” There was a brief pause. “–twelve-thirty?”

“Dean!” Castiel exclaimed, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. Now that he was away from the party and, hopefully, the threat of being arrested, he had realized just how screwed he might be. It was the middle of the night – long past his curfew – and he was standing on a dark corner in an unfamiliar neighborhood where anyone could attack him.

Dean suddenly sounded a lot more awake when he answered. “Whoa, Cas, dude. What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I need you to pick me up,” Cas said after a deep breath. “Please. I’m at the corner of Elm and Dogwood, near where your aunt used to live.”

“Are you okay?” Dean asked concernedly. There was a thump and a muffled curse from the other end of the line that sounded like Dean was attempting to get dressed while he talked.

“For now,” Cas said. “Thanks,” he added in a small voice.

“No problem,” Dean replied. “Gimme ten minutes.”

Castiel nodded, then, realizing that Dean couldn’t see him, gave him a soft “Okay.”

\---

The wait for Dean felt like the longest ten minutes of Cas’ life but finally he saw the sleek, black Impala turn onto the street and head towards him. It pulled over next to him and he rushed to open the passenger-side door and climb in. Neither of them spoke on the drive back to Dean’s house, though Cas finally had the sense of mind to text his mom and tell her that he was spending the night at Dean’s house. When they reached Dean’s house, Dean switched off the headlights before pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine. They crept up the porch steps and Dean quietly unlocked the door before placing a hand on the small of Cas’ back and guiding him towards the stairs.

Castiel entered Dean’s bedroom and immediately collapsed on the bed, curling up into a tight ball and squeezing his eyes shut. He heard Dean carefully shut the door and then felt him climb onto the mattress and crawl around to Cas’ other side. He pushed the hair out of Cas’ face and then rubbed his back.

“Cas, what happened?” he asked gently. “Thought you and Meg were goin’ to dinner or something.”

Cas shook his head. “She wanted to go to Ruby’s party,” he said, finally opening his eyes. “It was just as awful as the other ones,” he continued flatly. “I went outside for some fresh air but I heard sirens. I tried to find her but I don’t know where she was and the police were there, so I ran out the back door and into the woods and then walked until I was far enough away that I wouldn’t be caught.”

“Shit,” Dean said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

Cas managed a half-hearted shrug. “She kept trying to get me to drink,” he said a moment later, too tired to wonder why he’d suddenly decided to mention that. “She was drunk by the time I went outside.”

Dean was silent as he continued to rub Cas’ back with firm strokes. “C’mere,” he said finally, pulling Cas into his arms for a tight hug. Cas sniffled into Dean’s shoulder, unable to hold back a few tears that had been threatening to fall ever since he’d begun to speak. He let Dean hold him for another few minutes before he let out an accidental yawn.

Dean chuckled and pulled back. “You need sleep,” he said, slipping off the bed and crossing the room to his closet, where he pulled out an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Cas changed quickly and curled up on Dean’s bed, already starting to dread the next day, when he would have to talk to Meg, who was almost definitely going to be angry with him. Oddly enough, however, he was finding that he didn’t particularly care, though he wasn’t lucid enough to analyze that as he fell asleep in the warm arms of his best friend.

\---

Castiel was right. Meg had just barely escaped arrest and was in trouble with her parents for breaking curfew, and she blamed him for a) not finding her and b) making her stay longer to search for him. Cas listened silently as she voiced her (very loud) opinion and didn’t argue when she said that she wanted to break up and hung up on him.

Cas slumped as he dropped his phone onto the bed and Dean was immediately there, holding him and whispering soft reassurances in his ear. By the time Cas went home that night, he was subdued but feeling calm again.

Still, it was his first broken heart, and it hurt.

 

**Age 22**

After Meg came Hael, a friendly and sweet girl who moved to Lawrence senior year of high school. She and Castiel went to prom together in a group with Dean and his date Lydia but broke up before she left for her summer classes at Wichita State in late June. Cas spent the rest of the summer wondering if they’d made the right decision, and Dean was there every time Cas showed up at his house in need of reassurance.

After Hael was Balthazar, the snarky and exciting British guy in Castiel’s English 231 class. They dated for all of sophomore year of college, until Balthazar returned to London and they decided against trying long distance. That one hurt as much as Meg did, and Cas spent a week quietly going through the motions at his job at the town library and spending all of his free time with Dean, who somehow never failed to lift his spirits.

Now, in his senior year of college, Cas was dating a stunning, intelligent engineering major named Michael. They’d met through Dean, who shared a few classes with him, and Michael had immediately caught Cas’ eye, though Cas was too shy to actually carry much of a conversation with him the day they first met. The next day, however, Michael had shown up at the door to Dean and Cas’ apartment with a single red rose and a request for dinner. They kissed for the first time after a candlelit meal in a fancy Italian restaurant and a walk under the stars and Cas felt his heart race at the feel of those soft lips on his. He couldn’t stop grinning when he walked back into the apartment, and he was too lost in his thoughts to notice how Dean’s greeting smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

They had celebrated their six-month anniversary in February and Cas had started to find his mind wandering to scary places, like a future together, a wedding, kids even, though he never let himself dwell on those thoughts. They’d only been together for seven months, he reminded himself. Hardly long enough to get engaged, and besides, they were both graduating in May, after which Michael would be starting at a local engineering firm and Castiel was heading to grad school in Pennsylvania. They hadn’t really discussed what was going to happen in May, though Cas knew he should really bring it up sooner than later, which was his intent when he invited Michael over for dinner one Friday night.

He greeted Michael with a quick kiss and led him to the living room, sitting on the sofa and pulling Michael down next to him. Castiel opened his mouth to speak but Michael beat him to it.

“I’m glad you invited me over today,” he said. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Cas tilted his head. “What is it?” he asked, slightly taken aback at the abrupt request.

Michael took a deep breath and sighed. “I…” He paused and swallowed before looking back at Cas. “I met someone,” he said softly. “A guy, at my future company. Luke. I think… I think I want to date him,” he said in a rush. “I’m so sorry, Cas,” he added.

Castiel froze as he tried to process what Michael had just said. “You… you’re breaking up with me?” he said in disbelief.

Michael hesitated but soon nodded. “I hate to do it, but I’d really like to explore a relationship with him, and I would never cheat on you.”

Cas let out a quiet huff, feeling tears prickling at his eyes. “You’re really doing this?” he asked, voice shaky.

“I’m sorry,” Michael said again. He was silent for a moment before he finally stood up. “Goodbye, Cas,” he said softly as he made his way back down the hall. Cas flinched as the door shut and let the tears fall from his eyes. He grabbed the pillow behind him and hugged it to his chest as Michael’s words sunk in and he cried.

\---

When Cas woke up, he was gently bouncing up and down. His eyes were heavy and his brain was fuzzy, and it was a few seconds before he realized that he was in Dean’s arms as Dean, presumably, carried him to bed. Once in his room, Dean deposited Castiel carefully onto the bed and tugged the covers over him gently before giving his shoulder a soft rub. The corners of Castiel’s lips turned up and he expected Dean to quietly walk back to the door and across the hall to his own room. He was surprised, then, when all of a sudden he felt warm lips on his forehead.

“Sleep well, Cas,” Dean whispered, and then the lips were gone.

“Dean?” Cas murmured, opening his eyes to see Dean looking at him like a deer caught in headlights. “You kissed me,” he added with a confused frown.

Dean closed his eyes briefly and when he spoke, his voice was gruff. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You have a boyfriend and you and I are just friends, and that was inappropriate. It was just too tempting,” he added quietly. “I’m sorry, Cas. Just forget it and get some sleep.”

“Dean,” Cas said, reaching out a hand to his best friend. Dean hesitated then slowly walked closer and Cas grabbed his hand. Dean frowned down in confusion.

“What – what’re you doing, Cas?” he asked, though he didn’t resist when Cas pulled him closer to the bed.

“Michael broke up with me,” Cas said softly. “He met someone else.”

“Oh, Cas,” Dean said, sitting down beside him on the bed. “I’m so sorry. God, I’m sorry. How are you doing?”

Castiel shrugged. “It hurts,” he said. “…Seven months.” They were both silent for a long moment before Cas finally spoke. “Could you… could you hold me?” he said in a small voice.

Dean cleared his throat. “Yeah… yeah, of course, Cas.” He climbed carefully into Castiel’s bed and pulled Cas into his chest.

Castiel took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down, breathing in the familiar scent of his best friend, though it was awhile before he fell asleep.

\---

Castiel woke up nestled in warm arms and feeling surprisingly emotionless. He was still hurt, yes, but he was no longer clouded by his immediate emotions as he gazed around the bedroom aimlessly before his eyes settled on Dean, who was snoring gently, arm still draped over Cas’ back. He looked very pretty, Castiel thought. He was attractive all the time, but Cas liked having the time to actually admire him without worry of being spotted. Long eyelashes brushed his cheekbones and freckles splattered his cheeks as well as, Cas knew after years of friendship, his chest and shoulders. His hair was soft-looking and mussed, sticking up in random directions, which only made him more adorable. His lips, parted slightly as he breathed, were plush and pink, and Castiel found himself wondering if they were as soft as they looked.

Without thinking, Cas reached out a hand to brush his fingertips across Dean’s cheek but jerked away with a sudden realization. Dean… Dean was attractive, and was always there when Castiel needed him, and he was smart and never failed to make Cas laugh with his dumb jokes. He’d kissed Cas last night and Cas abruptly realized that he wanted it to happen again, except on the lips, and yes, he was still hurt by Michael’s departure but he was slowly recognizing that maybe the right guy had been there with him all along. The thought brought a real smile to his lips and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Dean’s forehead then settled back down into his bed, content to fall back asleep and deal with… whatever this was later in the morning.

 

**Age 30**

Castiel woke slowly to the feeling of warm lips on his face, his neck, his chest. He laughed as short scruff tickled his bare skin and buried his fingers in soft brown locks. “Dean,” he said, letting out another amused chuckle as Dean nuzzled into the sparse dark hairs on his chest.

“Hi, babe,” Dean said with a grin when he finally pulled his face away and met Cas’ gaze. Castiel pulled him in for a tender kiss, giving his bottom lip a soft nibble before pulling back.

“Good morning, honey,” Cas said, wrapping his arms around Dean’s back, tracing the subtle ridges of his spine up and down his warm skin. “Sleep well?”

Dean hummed, smiling lazily as he rested his head on Cas’ chest. “Yeah,” he said. “I have this really great husband,” he continued with a grin. “He’s really warm and comfortable, even when he steals all the blankets.”

“Mm, sounds like a great guy,” Cas teased.

“He is,” Dean agreed. “He likes sunsets and honey bees and history and taking road trips with me.” He leaned up for another languid kiss. “He likes to cuddle but he’s also a total take-charge guy in bed, which is all kinds of hot, let me tell you.” He kissed Cas’ nose. “He always knows what to do to cheer me up,” he added. “He’s got a huge heart, and loves me and our cats more than anything.” A kiss to the corner of Cas’ lips. “And he’s very sweet, just like honey.”

Cas chuckled and blushed. “ _Dean_ ,” he said fondly.

“Not a word,” Dean said with a grin. “You’re as big a sap as I am.”

“Says the one who proposed to me at the restaurant where we had our first real date, complete with red roses and a bottle of champagne.”

“You loved it,” Dean retorted.

Castiel didn’t deny it. “It was as sweet as you,” he agreed.

“Sweet as honey?” Dean teased.

Cas nodded. “I found my honey,” he said with a grin to match Dean’s.

“Mm, you’re a dork,” Dean replied as he kissed his way up Cas’ neck. “But god knows I love you,” he added.

“Love you too,” Cas replied. He caught Dean’s lips again, taking his time exploring Dean’s mouth, and then his body, the result being that another few hours passed before they emerged from their bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was having trouble coming up with an idea for this and then I (completely by accident!) found that quote and realized it would make the perfect prompt!
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr at [thetideseternaltune](http://thetideseternaltune.tumblr.com/) (main blog) or [hunterangelkisses](http://hunterangelkisses.tumblr.com/) (SPN sideblog)!


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